Circus Museum Art Isn't For People With Clown Phobias

Circus Museum is an Internet image bank storing thousands of posters, photos and prints which were used to advertise freak shows and circuses between about 1880 and 1930. The prints can be ordered in a variety of sizes - from A2 to several square meters.

The collection is from the late Dutchman, Jaap Best, who was not only a circus collector, but also a circus historian. Ironically, he gave very little access to his collection during his lifetime, but intended it to be enjoyed by all after his death.

L’Homme Poisson (Fish-Man), pictured fourth above, would look great in my kitchen... so would the Lion man, Lionel, who was highly regarded for his wit and could speak five languages, pictured in the seventh poster.

There’s so many quirky posters to select from, you can easily spend a fair bit of time on this site.